Incarnate Word Academy on Thursday unveiled the promotional poster and announced the China Poblana and Charro for this year’s 69th performance of A Little Bit of Mexico, a prelude to Charro Days 2023 and an important fundraiser for Incarnate Word Academy.
What began as a modest style show presented at Our Lady of Guadalupe and Immaculate Conception parish halls, has grown to be an annual Charro Days event performed at the Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center.
In the 69th production, Incarnate Word Academy students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, as well as alumni and other guest dancers will perform a variety of Mexican folkloric dances at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at the arts center.
The program’s highlight will feature eighth graders Ximena Arevalo as the China Poblana and Santiago Cavazos, as the Charro, who will perform the traditional highlight finale, “El Jarabe Tapatío,” from Jalisco state, accompanied by mariachi.
Ximena and Santiago were introduced in an unveiling ceremony at the IWA Heritage Center at the school, during which graphic artist Samantha Lopez, a recent IWA hire, helped introduce her poster.
Titled “Vamos a Tabasco,” the poster draws on colors from the flora and fauna of Mexico and is centered around the Cathedral of Our Lord in Villahermosa, Tabasco’s capital. Behind the cathedral is a pyramid, the first in Mexico made from brick rather than limestone, she said.
The poster also features jaguars, a common element in Mexican illustrations, and a pair of dancers.
A Little Bit of Mexico launched March 7, 1953 on the 100th anniversary of IWA’s founding as the first organized school of any kind in the Rio Grande Valley, and the second Catholic school in Texas.
Up until 1992, A Little Bit of Mexico was a style show that featured each grade at Villa Maria High School and Incarnate Word Academy performing a regional dance representing a Mexican state, complete with authentic costumes and accessories.
This year’s performance is on a Sunday and there is a gala and dinner the night before with live entertainment and an open bar. Tickets are on sale at Incarnate Word Academy offices, 244 Resaca Blvd.
